Andromeda
by MaidenInTheMoon
Summary: “I’m twenty and a capable jounin! Don’t think I’m that little girl you used to pat on the head Kakashi sensei.” [KakaSaku]
1. Tout la même chose

_More KakaSaku from Maiden. I'm going to make barbeque out of all these plot bunnies. Just kidding! (Pets Bunnies)_

_I actually wrote this because Sakura's loyalty to Sasuke in the filler arc right now if freaking annoying me. So I think I need some KakaSaku to help me chill out. Maybe I'll finish this one. Support would help greatly, hehe._

_o o o o o o o o_

**Title: Andromeda**

**Summary: "I'm twenty and a capable jounin! Don't think I'm that little girl you used to pat on the head Kakashi-sensei." On a mission to the snow country to eliminate a band of stragglers from the Sound, Sakura's maturity comes into question as she finally decides to bury her childish affection for Sasuke. In the process, she is forced to fully come to terms with exactly how much she will let someone else in. XKakaSakuX**

**Chapitre Une: Tout la même chose**

o o o o o o o o

The kunoichi stifled a yawn while she stretched herself out in the tall grass. A light wind blew the slightly yellowing blades around her toned legs and in boredom the girl drew a glinting kunai from her ninja pack.

For a few minutes she entertained herself by watching the sharp object swirl blurrily in her deft fingers before ennui encompassed her once again and she fell back in the grass with a sigh. Sakura's jade eyes lazily watched the white clouds mull across the otherwise crystal-blue sky and she lifted her index finger to gently follow the bizarre flight pattern of a dark crow. Just as she swore to herself that she was going to kill him for his tardiness, a familiar face complete with the mask and the crinkled eye blocked out her view of the heavens.

"Yo."

Sakura's brow twitched in reaction to his flippant greeting and she gritted her teeth for a moment, letting the extreme part of her anger subside.

"You're late!" she screamed at him as she tossed the kunai still dangling in her fingers straight up towards his cheerful face.

Kakashi caught the weapon in between two fingers and he shook his head as he watched Sakura sit up, her face still laden with displeasure.

"You shouldn't throw dangerous objects so freely Sakura, you could really kill someone."

"Like I'd ever throw it at someone who couldn't catch it," she replied with a pout before leaning over to brush away the dead pieces of grass that had attached themselves to her legs.

The silver-haired jounin watched her with his uncovered eye as he slipped her kunai into his own pouch. He had to admit to himself that he admired the way she looked nowadays. Her hair was longer again, but not as long as it had been in her youthful days. It no longer had the sheen to it that attested to the many hours she spent taking care of it before. Her rosy locks now had a rough edge to them and the jagged ends of her bangs told their own stories.

As for her body, he preferred not to dwell on it. Like all kunoichi, Sakura had managed to become both muscular and feminine. The childish diets she used to obsess herself with were no longer needed as nothing burned more calories than crossing paths with an enemy ninja. Sakura's talent as a medic-nin along with her skill as a shinobi in general brought her many missions and her body began to show the results of all her hard work.

Kakashi sighed inwardly as he thought of the last eight years. One of his students was an ANBU captain channeling all the strength and charisma of the copy-nin's own sensei. Said student was also well on his way to becoming the Rokudaime. Another one of his students was an S-class criminal, killer of the snake lord and the biggest fish out of all the missing-nin in the bingo book, even though he hadn't completed his revenge yet. And his last student stood before him innocently wiping grass from her calves and yet even she had become strong beyond his imagination.

"Oi, Sakura, has Hokage-sama filled you in on the objective of this mission?" Kakashi spoke first; his question broke his own musings and pulled Sakura away from her attention to her legs.

Green eyes flashed up at the silver-haired ninja. For a moment, he felt an intensity that he rarely saw in her gaze. When she spoke, however, her voice was flat and even; it betrayed none of the anxiety she may have felt from being assigned to such a mission.

"Hai, Naruto is meeting us with his and three other ANBU squads in the snow country. We are to station ourselves there for an indefinite amount of time gathering information on the last band of holdouts from the Sound country and after that we are to find them and eliminate them." Sakura answered, showing that she was fully aware of the assignment.

Kakashi nodded and Sakura noted a faint smile beneath the fabric of her sensei's dark mask and she cocked her head to her side, casting him a questioning glance.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's so funny?" She asked as she pulled another blade of grass from her pink hair.

"Ah . . . it's nothing, I was just thinking." He answered cryptically.

Sakura walked towards him, wearing an unreadable expression on her face. Kakashi eyed her warily and suddenly felt the inclination to step back from her sudden advance. When she was a few feet in front of him, Sakura stopped and her face broke into a sunny grin, slightly irking the masked jounin in front of her.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, tell me what's so funny!" Sakura demanded, her voice taking on some of the girlishness it carried in her youth.

He suddenly laughed and shook his head at her, amused at her outburst. He reached his hand out and dislodged a leaf from her locks. He held it up in front of her face for her to examine and as her eyes ran over the leaf in between his long fingers, he spoke.

"Let's spar."

"Okay but if I win, you have to tell me what's funny!" and before he had time to react half a dozen shuriken were already around her fingers.

o o o o o o o o

Sakura sunk happily into the warm mist breaking free from the hot water filling her tub. Her calloused toes wrapped eagerly around the soft bubbles and the girl noted how much her black painted toenails contrasted with the foamy white. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she took a bubble bath but she figured she deserved it since she didn't know how long she would be gone on this next mission. Ever since she moved out of her mother's house, little indulgences like taking a long bath seemed so much sweeter.

The girl shifted in the hot water and her nose and mouth became submerged beneath the bubbles. She moved her head slightly so that her eyes could peek over the rim of the tub to look outside her bathroom into her bedroom. Sakura noted her clothes and her medic supplies splayed erratically around on her bed and her red Konoha headband folded neatly on top of her backpack. The kunoichi closed her eyes and thought back to the day her shishou presented her with the red headband to replace the one she got from the academy. Sakura supposed it was symbolic as Naruto had received a new headband the day he left to train with Jiraiya and Sasuke, well, he didn't need the one with the leaf mark on it anymore.

As her thoughts drifted to the vain Uchiha whose attention she had so desperately sought in her little girl years, Sakura sighed audibly into the bubbles. She knew that he wouldn't be among the small group of remaining Sounds they were set to hunt down as he himself had been the downfall of the sound, but she couldn't help but wonder if they had any information on him. Even after all the years of hate and suffering he had caused her, she knew that in her heart she would forgive him if he ever came back and for that she cursed her weakness.

The phone rang as Sakura wrapped a towel around herself. The kunoichi muttered something about dripping on the carpet as she moved to answer the call although the suspected she already knew who was breaking her peace.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she winced slightly upon hearing the happy voice chirping on the other end of the line.

"Hey forehead girl, come out for a drink, I know you're going to disappear for another mission tomorrow." Ino's voice never failed to make Sakura cringe but after they got over their rivalry, Sakura figured it was the good kind of cringing.

"Ino-pig, I'm tired, I just want to go to sleep now." Sakura answered, although she felt she was lying as she suddenly became thirsty.

"I know you're lying, meet me in ten minutes!" Ino's voice never lost its resilience as she hung up the phone on an annoyed Sakura.

Sakura sighed as she set down her receiver. She proceeded to fold the rest of her clothes before stuffing them along with her headband into her traveling bag and she opened her closet door once again, this time to search for something to go out in. Sakura bit her lip as she looked over the dresses hanging in her closet and she picked a strapless red one made of linen that ran a little above her knees. After changing and heading to the door, she also grabbed a thin black sweater from her couch as she decided that she had felt tinges of fall in the air that morning.

Ino's favorite bar was a couple blocks from Sakura's house and the young kunoichi decided to walk slowly and enjoy the cool breeze. The nights before missions were always her favorite ones as they allowed her to reflect on all that she had done up until then. As a shinobi immersed in her work, Sakura was fully aware of the fact that her life was always in a precarious position.

The girl shook her head to rid herself of those morbid thoughts and in the process she dropped the blouse draped over her arm. Leaning over to pick it up, she realized that somebody else's hand was already on the garment and her stomach twitched with shock before she recognized who it was.

"Kakashi-sensei, you scared me!" Sakura complained as she watched him rescue her blouse from the ground.

He smiled beneath his mask as he gently draped the thin sweater around her slender shoulders and for a second he admired the silky texture beneath his fingers. Sakura felt him hesitate in lifting his hand off her shoulder and for the same second she closed her eyes to take in the simple comfort of having his hand there.

Kakashi cleared his throat as he quickly removed his hand and Sakura turned to look up at him, her face betraying a hint of a blush. She opened her mouth to speak but Kakashi took no notice and began to talk.

"So where are you off to Sakura? It's not every night I find you all dressed up roaming the streets."

"I'm not roaming the streets, I'm meeting Ino." Sakura answered, suddenly feeling the need to defend herself.

"At the bar no doubt. I'll walk you." Kakashi replied and began moving forward as Sakura nodded shyly and jogged a little to catch up.

What Sakura liked about Ino's bar was not that it was stocked with alcohol, but that it had a nice air to it. As a ninja, Sakura rarely found herself in places with nice airs to them. Too often she found herself playing drunk in some dingy tavern trying to lull information out of an unsuspecting target. In the field, anything that had an air to it was usually sending waves of dangerous chakra and while Sakura loved her work, there were times when she could do without the adrenaline.

When Sakura and Kakashi arrived, Ino had already selected a table near an open window and she waved energetically at Sakura when she spotted the familiar head of pink hair walk through the door. Sakura was happy to see that Ino had invited the whole bunch of their friends and Sakura waved back at Neji, TenTen, Hinata, Shikamaru and Chouji.

Kakashi nodded to Sakura and headed towards the back. The girl couldn't help but wonder who he was meeting and for some reason she secretly hoped that it was his group of lazy jounins and not some woman in a ridiculously short skirt. Sakura laughed as she caught herself feeling jealous and saw Ino watching her curiously as she walked towards the table. As she took a seat opposite Ino, the blonde girl leaned over the table and with a slight smirk painting her features, whispered words besides Sakura's ear.

"Anou . . . you and Kakashi look cute together, maybe you should go sit with him."

"Baka Ino-pig! He's my sensei, besides, he's old and he's probably with all his jounin friends." Sakura answered back, not bothering to lower her voice the way Ino did, causing the rest of the group to send her curious glances.

"Sakura, you're a jounin."

"You know what I mean."

"Yah, I was just joking anyways."

Sakura shook her head at Ino's inane comment and plucked the alcohol list from its holder in the center of the table. Her delicate brow knitted slightly as her eyes took in all of the heavy liquor dotting the list. Ino watched the girl's eyes scan for something to drink and she sighed as she rescued the list from her friend's hand.

"Just get some rose champagne, it's not strong, and you won't get wasted." Ino answered to Sakura's questioning look.

"How do you know I don't want to get wasted?" Sakura asked.

"You, Haruno Sakura, do not have the audacity to get wasted before a mission, in fact, I question if you have ever been wasted in your whole life." Ino responded knowingly and grinned upon witnessing Sakura's empty stare.

Shikamaru nodded in agreement and looked up at the roof in boredom.

"Drinking heavily is troublesome anyways, you always have to get someone to take you home."

As the waitress walked over to the table, Sakura noted one of Kakashi's jounin companions walking out of the bar with his hand around a questionable woman's waist. Sakura could tell she was a civilian by the way she walked and she watched them intently as the pair strolled out the door. Was this what they did on nights before missions, get the most out of possibly your last night alive? Then again, it made sense when Sakura thought about it.

She turned her head to face Ino and a wry smile spread across her lips. Ino cast a nervous glance at Shikamaru and Neji just shook his head.

"What'll it be?" The woman asked, producing a pen and a pad from the apron tied around her waist.

"Give me the strongest thing you've got."

And the night went on.

o o o o o o o o

Ino laughed heartily as she and Shikamaru supported Sakura out of the bar. Both of them were relatively drunk themselves and the three figures stumbling down the street must have been an amusing scene to any passersby who was still sober.

"Ino . . . put me down here, I think I'm going to pass out." Sakura groaned through her messy hair and her blonde friend exchanged drunken glances with the brunette boy supporting Sakura's other side. They nodded to each other and lazily set the pink-haired kunoichi down, only to stumble off down the street in their drunkenness.

True to her word, Sakura's eyes closed slowly and she let her head roll lazily against the wall. Even in her inebriation, she managed to balance her skull on the wall and she blinked a couple more times before dozing off.

Kakashi strolled out of the bar with his hands in his pocket. His casual slouch and his slow walk hid the effects of the ten cups of sake he had downed and as he strolled towards his apartment, he pulled out the fourth book in his favorite series entitled 'Icha Icha Flavors." He sighed as he heard a woman laughing not far behind him and he wondered why he had chosen not to take someone home.

Turning a corner, Kakashi caught site of his mission partner and former student sleeping happily against a cold wall. Fighting the urge to chuckle, the copy-ninja pocketed his beloved book and kneeled down to take a good look at his pink-haired kunoichi. He moved to brush wild pink strands of hair out of her face and he noted the reddish tinge of her cheeks and laughed.

'Carpe Diem, eh?' He thought to himself and shook her shoulder lightly in an attempt to wake her from her slumbers.

The kunoichi did not open her eyes, instead, her head rolled out of its delicate balance with the wall and landed on top of Kakashi's hand hand. The copy-ninja inwardly sighed as her pastel locks spilled over his knuckles and fingers and he lifted her head off the back of his hand only to scoop her whole body into his arms. For a moment he stood in the empty street marveling at how awkward the scene was and then he turned around, heading in the direction of her apartment.

o o o o o o o o

Light crept under Sakura's eyelids and she rolled her face into her soft pillow in an attempt to block out the invading rays. As she cracked open a blurry green eye, Sakura made an effort to see what time it was but she was rewarded with a dizzy spell, a kind reminder of how inconsiderate she had been to her body the night before.

Sakura sat up and massaged a few knots in her neck, wondering why it had become so sore and she decided that it wasn't anything a hot shower couldn't fix. As she headed to the bathroom, she spotted her red dress folded neatly at the foot of her bed and for a second she swore she didn't remember putting it there.

'Not like you remember a lot of last night anyways," inner Sakura carped at her and the kunoichi frowned at her inner self's sarcasm.

She quickly slipped into the shower and turned the handle to the hottest it could reach and in moments the scalding water came raining down in heavy torrents. The water pummeled the ceramic tub creating a steady beat and steam began to roll over her shower curtain in waves of mist. Sakura laughed to herself as she suddenly had a flashback to eight years ago when she had stood terrified in the mist, waiting for a giant cleaver to descend and end her life. She couldn't help but wonder how well she could do if she were there now. Maybe she wouldn't need Kakashi to save her anymore.

The sound of a door closing broke through the sound of flying water and Sakura immediately shut of the water. She quickly reached outside her shower to grab a robe and as she secured it around her, she carefully slid one kunai into each of the fluffy sleeves.

"Sa-Sakura-kun?" Hinata's shy voice floated through the apartment and Sakura's tense muscles immediately relaxed. As she walked out to greet the Hyuga heir, she slipped the two kunai out of her robe and placed them silently on the sink.

"Hinata! I was in the shower, sorry!" Sakura greeted, giving Hinata a wide grin as the white-eyed girl gave a small smile in return.

"Gomen-nasai Sakura-kun, I knocked but there was no answer and your shoes were there so I figured you hadn't left!" Hinata spoke up, her timidity waning.

"Oh, don't worry about it, what can I do for you?" Sakura responded, moving back into the bathroom to grab a towel to dry her hair with.

"Anou, I was wondering if you could give this to Naruto-kun when you see him?" Hinata asked quietly, holding out a small white box with a blue ribbon meticulously wrapped around it.

The pink-haired kunoichi held back a small laugh at the thought of giving Naruto the box. His face would no doubt light up like a firework and he would eagerly rip the ribbon away, completely oblivious to the keen efforts put into making the strip of fabric look appealing.

"Sure Hinata, I'll give it to him." Sakura answered, taking the box from the other girl. She marveled at how light the box was and couldn't help but feel curious about its contents.

The Hyuga smiled at Sakura's response and made her way to the door. She thanked Sakura again and wished her luck on the mission as she quietly closed the door behind her. Sakura sighed, examining the box once again before stuffing it into her backpack and changing into her mission outfit.

o o o o o o o o

Sakura walked slowly towards the red bridge, knowing that Kakashi wouldn't be there on time anyways. She knew the way to the bridge too well and didn't bother to watch where she was going. Instead, she busied herself with her outfit as she pulled on her fingerless gloves that reached a little below her elbows. In her teenage years, she had needed a thick black glove before being able to smash things with her fist but as her skill grew, it was no longer necessary for her to wear that particular hand garment. Instead, she opted for something thinner and sheerer and, in her opinion, much sexier.

Unsurprisingly, the red bridge was devoid of life when Sakura got there and she sighed before taking a seat on the railing. She moved to shrug off the two long and elegant katana fixed on her back as she readjusted the strap around her torso. Checking on her weapons, Sakura unsheathed the first sword and examined the morning light dancing across the shiny metal. The deep-red handle, made of polished oak, glowed equally luminously in the sun. Satisfied with the condition of the weapon, Sakura replaced the first katana and proceeded to examine the second sword hidden beneath a coal-black covering.

The kunoichi was rubbing the second katana against a sharpening stone when she heard behind her the familiar pop announcing a certain silver-haired jounin's arrival. She turned her head to face him, wearing a bored expression, before turning back to work on her sword. To her surprise, the weapon had disappeared from her grasp and a weight on her back told her that the man had put it back in its place.

"Let's go Sakura-chaan, no need to show off your weapons when there aren't any enemies." Kakashi teased her, inflecting his voice to mimic the way Naruto used to address Sakura. He knew that she hated being called that now as in her mind, the "chan" attached to her name directly referred back to the days when she was incapable of fending for herself.

Her eyebrow lifted in questioning and she simply stared at him before laughing and collecting her belongings off the ground.

"Race you to the main gate?" Sakura asked sweetly, tilting her head in the direction of Konoha's main door.

Kakashi nodded and drew chakra to his feet only to hear the pop of a dispelled bunshin behind him. He realized that Sakura's clone had been the one to pose the question and she was probably far ahead already.

'Cheater' he thought to himself as he sped off to find her.

o o o o o o o o

_That was definitely the longest opening chapter I have ever written. I hope you guys will enjoy this story as I will really try to keep it moving. You know how I am though, I'm not very good at staying constant with things and I screw up all the time._

_But please review and tell me what you think. Hopefully I'll be able to get a beta but they're always so slow. Hmm_

_Maiden signing out!_

**Andromeda:** Andromeda is a bright constellation, visible all year round in the northern hemisphere (circumpolar.) and represents the figure of a woman with arms outstretched


	2. Il ne change pas

_Here's a bit of history on me. About a month ago was my three-year anniversary. In those three years, not counting one-shots, I have completed one story, which was utter crap so I took it down a very long time ago. If I am able to finish this story, then I will actually go out and celebrate. So help me guys! I want it to go on and hopefully you want it to go on, but I need lots of support. Thanks!_

_Btw: this will not be finished before I get into college. If I get into college by December, I will 100 finish this._

o o o o o o o

**Title: Andromeda**

**Chapitre Deux: Il ne change pas**

o o o o o o o o

_I've had my wake up call sensei_

_I chose to ignore it_

A blueberry rolled out of Sakura's palm and disappeared through a space in the ship's railing. The pink-haired girl sighed as she watched the fruit roll across the wooden deck and make its escape into the water but she did not make an effort to eat anymore of the berries in her hand.

"Something wrong?" Kakashi asked as he looked up from his book. He had secretly been watching her munch on the blueberries for a while and he noticed that she seemed to eat her snack with great distaste.

"Who opted to buy blueberries for this trip? They're out of season and they're among the most perishable fruits around!" Sakura answered, revealing her frustrations in the tone of her voice.

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh and he apologized lightly when Sakura shot him an ugly glare. No doubt his only female student was the only one he knew who would agonize over some steward's obvious lack of judgement. Nevertheless, he had to admit to himself that watching the girl get frustrated over such a small error was quite amusing.

For a while neither of them spoke as they instead found comfort in leaning on the railing and watching the seawater languidly lap against the ship's side. Sakura extended her arm over the railing and let go of the few berries left in her hand. They pricked three small holes in the water below and were quickly swallowed up by the greedy waves. The kunoichi watched the spot where the berries had fell for a bit before she turned to the man standing beside her.

"Sensei, what information do we have on the holdouts as of right now? Why are they in Yuki no Kuni?" Sakura asked as she watched for a reaction from her former teacher. He gave none and instead he casually turned a page in his book, acting as if her question had never been posed.

Sakura crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger as she began to tap her foot impatiently on the deck. Kakashi continued to give her no response and took little note of her show of frustration. Instead, he kept his attention on the book in his hand.

The girl rolled her eyes at his nonchalance and she watched his visible eye peruse lines of what she assumed was smutty text. Sakura unhappily blew a strand of pink hair out of her face in a huff. Her green eyes went back to their normal size but she continued to stare at the man. The elite ninja standing next to her finally sighed and caved in to her scrutiny. Kakashi pocketed his book and gave her his undivided attention although he couldn't help but chuckle with amusement as he watched the supposedly dangerous kunoichi standing before him pout prettily like a spoiled princess.

"Hai, Sakura-_hime_?" Kakashi answered, smiling beneath his mask as he waited for her response.

"Answer my question, Kakashi!" Sakura whined back at him.

The silver-haired ninja lifted his revealed eyebrow when he realized she had dropped the honorary at the end of his name. He decided not to call her on the omission as it had truly been too long since he had honestly been her sensei. Sensing his perplexity, Sakura started to explain.

"Mou . . . it's been more than five years since you've trained any of us, I supposed it's about time I dropped the 'sensei' part don't you think?" Sakura looked away from him and stared at the deck floor while she spoke, as if she were embarrassed by what she was saying.

Kakashi looked up at a seagull floating overhead and wrapped two fingers around his chin pretending to be deep in thought. Sakura smiled lightly at his show of contemplation and knew that he was only doing it to further annoy her. He truly loved to get on her nerves.

"Okay, but can't you call me Kakashi-san at least?"

"No."

" . . ."

"Okay, okay, Kakashi-_san_ it is." Sakura quickly responded, suddenly realizing that she was disrespecting her elder. She wasn't exactly in the mood for Kakashi's wrath.

Kakashi smiled brightly underneath his mask.

o o o o o o o o

Sakura sat on a desk facing the porthole and breathed in the night sea air. She carefully pulled two senbon from her hair and shuddered slightly as her loose locks tickled her bare shoulders. The salty breeze worked its way through her wild mane and Sakura closed her eyes, graciously accepting the feather-light brushes of the wind across her skin.

"Sakura-san?"

The kunoichi's green eyes snapped open as she heard her name called. She turned her head away from the open window to face her timid caller and her eyes softened when they fell upon a nervous young boy standing in her doorway. He must have seen something feral in the pink-haired kunoichi being perched on a desk bathing herself in the breeze as Sakura detected a faint tremble around his frame.

'This must be that steward who brought the blueberries onboard,' she thought to herself and a well-hidden smile touched her lips.

"Yes?"

"K-Kakashi-san wants to meet with you . . ." the boy trailed off as he found himself unable to look at the woman and adjusted his gaze to the wooden floor.

Sakura unconsciously let her smile widen and she nodded. The boy took that as his signal to depart and he scrambled off down the hall. Sakura heard him lose his footing as the ship suddenly lurched to one side and she openly laughed while she smoothly slipped off the desk and quickly wrapped the senbon back into her hair.

o o o o o o o o

Sakura slipped down the hall only to find Kakashi's door wide open. She peaked inside his dark room and noticed him sitting on the floor with his back to the door. He appeared to be deep in thought as an open scroll lay spread on the floor before him. Sakura grinned as she realized how vulnerable he was to an attack at that moment but she knew better than to think that the copy-ninja would ever reveal an opening.

The kunoichi resigned herself to leaning casually against the doorframe in hopes that she had blocked enough light for him to notice her presence. When Kakashi gave no acknowledgement of her presence, Sakura frowned and realized he was toying with her again.

"Ne . . . Kakashi, this isn't funny! Don't call me out for no reason, I'm really tired." Sakura began to whine in her spoiled princess voice she knew her former sensei loved to hear.

"Sakura, come in and shut the door." Kakashi suddenly demanded, his voice low and serious.

The pink-haired girl stood stunned for a moment as her mind rapidly processed the gravity of the situation. She swallowed and lightly nodded before moving inside, bringing the door silently behind her.

The room was completely dark save for a slither of moonlight that slipped through Kakashi's open window. Sakura's heart began to beat faster as she pondered why Kakashi had ushered her into his unlit quarters. Then Sakura noticed it. Perched on the tiny porthole was Naruto's messenger bird, a sleek brown falcon with sharp eyes and a menacing beak. The pink-haired kunoichi couldn't remember the majestic bird's name but she knew something was wrong by just its presence.

"The other two squads never reached Naruto. All radio contact was lost with them while they made their way to the snow." Kakashi spoke quietly as he moved closer to Sakura who felt her breath begin to quicken. The silver-haired ninja stopped his advance within inches of her tense body and he leaned down so his mouth was right near her ear.

"There are probably assassins on this ship. If there are, we are going to lure them into the cargo hold, okay?" Kakashi whispered into Sakura's ear and she couldn't help but shudder at the feel of his breath against her sensitive skin.

A moment passed and neither of them moved as Sakura's brain worked to deal with the intimacy of the situation. Before she could put together a coherent reply Kakashi had already moved away from her and was busy tying a small scroll to the waiting falcon's leg. Sakura watched his silent actions and her mind finally regained clarity as a plan began to form in her head.

"If we take a walk on the deck they might see us, and then we can go to the cargo hold." Sakura offered quietly as she walked nearer to Kakashi who was watching Naruto's falcon fly into the distance. He turned to look at her and for a second he marveled at how watery her jade eyes looked in the pale moonlight. She caught him staring blankly at her and she childishly waved her hand in front of his face to regain his attention.

Kakashi smiled as he returned to his senses and nodded in response to Sakura's plan. He motioned towards the door and the two of them quickly slipped out of the dark room into the dim glow of the hallway's lights.

o o o o o o o o

Sakura laughed loudly as she and Kakashi sat at a table on the deck sharing a bottle of red wine. So far she had done her best to draw attention to the two of them and she had already spotted three people who looked like potential assassins. Much to her relief, neither of the three carried himself like a ninja.

As the pink-haired kunoichi drained her second cup of alcohol, she noticed Kakashi raise his thin silver eyebrow at her. She scowled at his subtle reprimand and threw him a disdainful look.

"Is there a problem, Kakashi-_san_?"

"Yes Sakura-_hime_, no one told me that you drink like a fish."

"I do not!"

Kakashi simply chuckled behind his mask and proceeded to stand up. He offered his hand to his former student thereby urging her to follow. Sakura nodded in understanding and took his offer, careful to pose her next question with enough volume.

"What should we do now?"

"I thought we'd explore the ship a little, are you up for that?" Kakashi replied, his answer already prepared.

Sakura agreed and the two of them made a slow circle around the deck before proceeding to move towards the stairs descending into the cargo hold. The kunoichi tried her best to look calm and inquisitive but as they descended further into the dark and dusty regions of the ship she found it harder and harder to stay cool. Kakashi felt her anxiety and as they crossed the threshold between light and dark, he slipped a kunai into Sakura's hand.

His timing was impeccable.

Sakura immediately detected three people behind a row of large boxes and her body loosened up when she realized the intruders had no chakra control. Her green eyes moved slowly to meet Kakashi's single dark one and he nodded lazily at her. The two ninjas disappeared into the darkness and the "assassins" barely had time to react before each felt the cool edge of sharp metal at his throat.

"Who hired you" Kakashi demanded. His voice was low and smooth, just the way Sakura had always remembered it being before he went in for the kill.

"K-Koo . ." The person Sakura held a kunai to managed to stutter before passing out. In horror, the kunoichi realized that it was none other than the ship's steward she had seen in her doorway moments before and she dropped the unconscious body to the floor in shock.

"Sakura, get a hold of yourself." Kakashi warned while he quickly performed a bind jutsu on his own two hostages. The unidentified man let out a grunt of resistance but quickly succumbed to falling limply on the floor next to the boy.

"Kakashi . . . he's just a boy, the sound holdouts couldn't have hired him to attack us!" Sakura defended as she cast a sympathetic glance at the boy lying on the ground. Moonlight had since broken through the clouds and a stray moonbeam cast itself across the boy's calm face. To Sakura the boy looked like any other sleeping child and she could not fathom that he had potential to harm others.

"We know someone hired them Sakura, he even started to give us a name." Kakashi responded, slightly irked by Sakura's desperation.

"It's just . . . we don't have to kill them . . ."

"Then what do you propose we do with them."

"I can think of something . . ." Sakura trailed off as she bit her lip and tore her gaze away from Kakashi's questioning eyes. The kunoichi's delicate pink eyebrows knit together as she wracked her brain for a suitable plan.

"S-Sakura-san . . ." the boy suddenly called out, his voice laden with fright. "Sakura-san, the man who hired us is named Asai Koori . . . he has ninja waiting for you two at shore, please don't hurt my brother and me, we won't try to harm you anymore."

Sakura kneeled down and carefully examined the shivering boy. Why he had ever considered attacking two skilled ninja was beyond her but she knew he was telling the truth when he told her he wouldn't try to harm them anymore.

'Like he really could if he tried.' Sakura thought to herself.

Kakashi cleared his throat and Sakura turned to him, her eyes cold and dull. She nodded to him before molding her chakra and she heard the boy let out a tiny squeak at the sight of the green glow emanating from her hands.

"Fuminshou no jutsu!" Sakura called out as she quickly pressed her hand into the back of each boy.

Sakura cast a final glance at the unconscious bodies and she looked towards Kakashi.

"They won't remember any of what happened tonight." Her voice was even and professional and Kakashi only nodded. Behind his nonchalant face, however, he was secretly trying to figure out when the Godaime had developed memory modification jutsus.

"Sakura, I think it's best that we get off this ship." Kakashi said subtly as he and Sakura ascended the steps out of the cargo hold.

The kunoichi looked silently at him for a moment but her eyes soon slipped past him. Kakashi turned to see what she was looking at and caught sight of a lifeboat hanging placidly at the ship's side. He smiled to her under his mask and she couldn't help but grin too.

"Yuki no kuni it is then."


End file.
